The grey-clothed old man’s legs went weak. This was one of the most heart-pounding auctions he had ever presided over. Although there were only two competitors, it was a good thing there were only two. Had there been any more, he reckoned his poor heart would have been pounding out of his chest.

"Ten Fire Essence Immortal Crystals!" Ye Fan declared immediately.

If you were going to play, you should play with style and flair. That was his philosophy.

While ten Fire Essence Immortal Crystals was a great deal, to him, it was nothing. He had several tons of them, amounting to at least a thousand crystals.

At this price, the entire room was silent, so stunned they were beyond shock. They knew these two were madmen, competing over a Divine Artifact as if their lives depended on it.

But only he knew that for him, this was just a drop in the bucket. For the person in the next booth, however, it was a price that would make them spit blood.

No sound came from the neighboring booth for a long time, and the auctioneer seemed to have forgotten his role. Finally, the occupant of the adjacent booth gritted his teeth and said, "Five hundred tons of Immortal Mine and two prefectural estates!"

Five hundred tons of Immortal Mine was an incredibly formidable sum, and the two prefectural estates were even more significant. The bidding had reached a brutal stage. It was clear the Martial Artist in that booth was no ordinary person. They had to be from one of the Main God’s factions, otherwise, who would have the authority to simply give away two prefectural estates?

Just as Ye Fan was about to raise the bid again, he thought of something even more amusing than just throwing money around.

"I withdraw from the bidding!" Ye Fan announced.

He could practically hear someone from the next booth gasp and spit blood in despair. He simply shrugged helplessly. It had nothing to do with him. If they wanted to spit blood, that was their business.

"Damn it!" the powerful expert in the next booth roared in anger. Only now did he realize that Ye Fan had played him for a fool, played him ruthlessly.

The woman beside him also gritted her teeth. She thought she could finally get her revenge on this man, but he turned out to be a slick old fox.

At this point, the rest of the crowd was simply at a loss for words. The grey-clothed old man awkwardly announced, "Then this Divine Artifact belongs to Booth Number Three!"

The expressions on everyone’s faces flickered with uncertainty. This outcome had completely defied their expectations.

Ye Fan, however, remained unfazed. He found the feeling of messing with people to be absolutely exhilarating.

Just then, the grey-clothed old man spoke again. "Although the competition was fierce, a an auction must go on. The next item up for bidding is no simple matter.

"It’s a piece of meteoric iron. It may not look like much, but it was found by our master during a Heavenly Tribulation! Our master attempted to forge it, but it remained completely unscathed. Therefore, he concluded that this is a material that surpasses Immortal Mine!"

He immediately whipped the red cloth away. The moment it was unveiled, the crowd scoffed. After all that mystical buildup, it was just a worthless piece of scrap metal. Wasn’t this a total scam? Besides, if it was truly indestructible as the old man claimed, what use was it to anyone?

Seeing their skeptical looks, the grey-clothed old man felt quite helpless. He also felt like he was trying to swindle them. However, since his master had arranged for it to be auctioned, he could only comply.

So, he set a very low starting price. "Starting bid of five tons of Immortal Mine!" he announced.

TCH! The crowd looked on with disdain. In their eyes, the auction house was destroying its own reputation. Five tons of Immortal Mine? That was robbery for a worthless piece of scrap metal. Even the occupant of the booth next to Ye Fan’s shook his head helplessly.

While it was useless to them, it was an absolute treasure to Ye Fan. He could feel his Yuanhong Sword practically vibrating with anticipation. Without hesitation, he called out, "Five Fire Essence Immortal Crystals!"

No one expected this tycoon to play the rich fool again. Five Fire Essence Immortal Crystals! The audacity was breathtaking. Was a piece of scrap metal really worth it? However, they suspected Ye Fan was just trying to mess with someone again. Otherwise, he’d never make such an outrageous bid. If anyone else dared to challenge him, he surely wouldn’t raise the price again. Of course, the only one who could possibly outbid five Fire Essence Immortal Crystals was the Master in Booth Number Three. But having been duped once, he surely wouldn’t fall for the same trick again.

When the grey-clothed elder heard Ye Fan’s bid, he finally let out a sigh of relief. The tycoon had finally spoken. Regardless of whether he was trying to mess with someone or genuinely wanted the item, the elder was immensely satisfied. At least this piece of scrap metal was finally sold.

"Sold!" he declared instantly.

"Hahaha, Elder, that guy must be swallowing a bitter pill right now," the young woman in Booth Three said with a giggle. "He tried to trick others, and now he’s shot himself in the foot."

But the elder retorted, "I’m not so sure. Even if he’s foolish, he knows no one will compete with him for that piece of scrap metal. The fact that he bid so decisively makes me think he wanted it from the very beginning. Everything before this might have just been him setting the stage."

The elder’s analysis was quite reasonable.

At that moment, the grey-clothed elder knew his master had been monitoring the auction. His master was probably overjoyed right now. Indeed, he himself was overjoyed. Even though he was just an employee, he would receive a cut of at least two top-grade Immortal Crystals and one Fire Essence Immortal Crystal. For him, this single auction was a massive windfall.

Several more items, touted as grand finale treasures, were auctioned off, but Ye Fan showed no interest at all. He had already obtained what he came for. This left the grey-clothed elder puzzled. The mind of this tycoon is truly inscrutable.

Without Ye Fan competing, the auction became lively again. Bidding wars resumed, though everyone remained wary of Ye Fan. They had all decided that the moment he placed a bid, they would immediately withdraw. The guy was just too much of a monster. Thankfully, Ye Fan stayed silent until the very end. Finally, the grey-clothed elder announced with a beaming smile that the auction had come to a close.

After the auction ended, the crowd began to disperse, but a few restless individuals kept their eyes fixed on Ye Fan’s booth. Among them were Blood Storm, Ghost Foot Seven, and the two from the adjacent booth. Obviously, they had marked Ye Fan as a fat sheep, just waiting for him to leave the auction house so they could strike without hesitation. Although they weren’t as wealthy as Ye Fan, they all understood a fundamental truth of the Evil Valley in the Land of Punishment: wealth isn’t everything. True superiority comes from immense strength. And while Ye Fan didn’t appear strong, his astonishing wealth meant he was destined to face endless hostility in the Evil Valley.